Georgia forestry, Vol. 43, no. 4 (Winter 1990)

The Miss Liberty who stands proudly in the heart of McRae has a 60-pound head carved from a gum stump. There is plywood in parts of her body and the base of the 32-foot statue is made of cypress and pine from the forests ofMiddle Georgia The statue, with carving attributed to Randy Yawn, a local hospital technician, is a replica one-tenth the size of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. The statue, a project of the Telfair-McRae Lions Club, has become a favorite photo subject for tourists.
0 N THE COVE R -Trout fisherman fly casts into tree-shrouded waters of
North Georgia mountain stream. Although such wilderness type areas have dwindled in Georgia, concentrated efforts are underway to preserve the natural beauty of these forested habitats for fish and wildlife.
Photo By Bill Edwards
2/Georgia Forestry/Winter 1990

Georgia
FORESTRY
USPS No. 217120
Winter, 1990 No. 4 Vol. 43
STAFF Howard E. Bennett, Editor William S. Edwards, Asso. Editor Jackie N. Swinson, Graphic Arti st
Joe Frank Harris- Governor John W . Mixon - Director
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Jim L. Gillis, Jr., Chairman, Soperton
Felton Denney, Carrollton James Fendig, Savannah Dr. Gloria Shatto, Rome Robert Simpson, Ill, Lakeland
DISTRICT OFFICES
District One 3086 Martha Berry Hwy., NE/Rome, GA 30161
District Two 3005 Atlanta Hwy./Gainesville, GA 30501
District Three 1055 E. Whitehall Rd./Athens, GA 30605
District Four P.O . Box 1080/Newnan , GA 30264
District Five 119 Highway 49/Milledgeville, GA 31061
District Six 1485 Tygnall Rd ./Washington , GA 30673
District Seven Route 1, Box 23NAmericus, GA 31709
District Eight Route 3, Box 17/Tifton, GA 31794
District Nine P.O . Box 345/Camilla, GA 31730
District Ten Route 2, Box 28/Statesboro, GA 30458
District Eleven Route 1, Box 67/Helena, GA 31037
District Twelve 5003 jacksonville Hwy./Waycross, GA 31501
Urban Forestry 6835 Memorial Drive Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Georgia Forestry is published quarterly by the Georgia Forestry Commission, Route 1, Box 181, Dry Branch, GA 31020. Second class postage paid at Macon, GA POSTMASTER; Send address changes to Georgia Forestry Commission, Route 1, Box 181 , Dry Branch, GA 31 020.

the Georgia Forestry Commission for applying herbicides to pasture and cropland as site preparation."
The research area was sprayed on ten foot centers by spraying three bands at a time; each band was four feet wide. The herbicide used (glyphosate) was applied at a rate of five quarts per acre. The spraying treatment was followed by a burn, before the next frost.
"The result was clean strips - which had been sprayed - alternating with partially burned strips," Black said. " The area was subsequently planted in Livingston Parrish Loblolly Pine during late March and early February. "
Black pointed out that some of the areas on this research site were not sprayed - so comparisons and evaluations could be established.

FINDINGS CONTINUE

Cathy Black, Commission urban forester, is shown in before and after photos of pine planted tract at Augusta 's Gracewood State Hospital. Early photo shows Black examining trees shortly after original planting. Current photo shows trees at same location.
GRACEWOOD PLANTING PROVIDES FOR VALUABLE RESEARCH PROJECTS

It just goes to show what a little observation and foresight can accomplish!
Several years ago, Richmond County Ranger Harold Smith (retired) was driving Commission Director john Mixon to t he local airport. Smith mentioned that Augusta's Gracewood State Hospital had an unused tract of land that would be ideal for planting pines. Mixon postponed his trip to the airport and had Smith drive him to the hospital to talk with administrators.
Shortly after the discussion, the first trees were planted by Commission personnel at Gracewood. The original planting was in February 1983.Virtually all personnel in District 6 participated in planting 301,290 trees on 415 acres. Personnel at the Richmond County Unit recall as many as five tractors

going at one time as the planting processed.
Cathy Black, urban forester for the Richmond County Unit who has been working with the Gracewood tract for several years, described it as "a diversified project that has become progressive and valuable in many ways." Her reference ranges from potential commercial value ofthetimberto continuing research projects.
"One area was selected for an operational spraying demonstration in
415 IDLE ACRES TURNED INTO BEAUTIFUL FOREST
1987," Black said. "This was the first use of a spraying unit developed by

According to management plan guidelines, a second area was treated with herbicides during the summer of 1987 for more evaluations. This area consisted of 17.2 acres of Improved Loblolly planted during the winter of 1987.
Black said the most interesting phase of the Gracewood operation remains the evaluation of these herbicide plots, with numerous findings still surfacing in the continuing observation and research.
Since most of the Gracewood plantation is planted in coastal bermuda with forestry managed by the Commission, it provided an excellent opportunity for a research site. Participants in the research included the Commission, University of Georgia and U. S. Forest Service.
Research , cultivation, and care of the tract continues to progress with District 6 Units devoting time to regular maintenance. Foresters in the district are also now using the tract as a training site for plowing fire suppression breaks. In addition to other activities, the Commission's Research Department has designated the Gracewood site as the location of a new wooden bridge to be used for demonstration purposes.
" All things considered, I think the Gracewood project is turning out to be beneficial for all concerned," Black said.
The Commission Director's delayed departure from the airport on that day several years ago has resulted in many dividends.

Bill Carmichael, left, looks on as daughter Lisa and hergrandfather, james Carmichael, check pines grown on their Emanuel
County property. Below, Lisa, who wants to be a forester, measures and identifies trees.
FORESTRY IS AFAMILY AFFAI

Good forestry often bridges generations.
The Carmichaels of Emanuel County - father, son and granddaughter - can attest to that and so can Paul Manners and son, Phil, who work together in managing their forested acreage up in Franklin County.
james Carmichael and his son, Bill, manage almost 2,000 acres of forests in their South Georgia county and the Manners, who live in Atlanta, take pride in caring for some 600 acres of woodlands in North Georgia.
The Carmichaels are so engrossed in their forest that both gave up intended careers to work with their trees. The father, an attorney, gave up his law practice and clients in favor of trees and Bill, who earned a degree in criminal justice, finds it more stimulating to be out in the pines than down at the courthouse. A representative of a third generation of the family figures prominently in the future management of the forest resources; Bill's 14-
d /Cooraio> J:oro~trv/Wint<>r 1 QQ()

year-old daughter, Lisa, has captured top honors in local and district 4-H forestry projects and looks forward to the day when she can attend college and major in forestry.

"When I was in school," Lisa's father said, "I won a savings bond and a thousand seedlings in my project and now the five acres where I planted the trees has become my daughter's management plot." When her father and grandfather take to the woods to check growth, firebreaks and game food plots, Lisa is usually there to make it a threesome and to test her skills in tree identification and measurement.
The senior Carmichael said his mother planted slash pine on about 75 acres of the family property back in 1935, a time when reforestation in Georgia was practically unknown . It
was a time when Emanuel Countians depended on a row-crop economy and timber was of little value. By 1950, however, Carmichael thinned the pines his mother had planted during the Depression and in the mid-1 960's he harvested some fine logs fro m th e planting.
The landowner said more than 90

percent of their 2,000 acres is in trees and they do considerable selective t hi nning and sell some pulpwood, " but we don't believe in clear cutting," he said. " It's okay for industry, but it's not for us. We don't cut any tree under 14 inches DBH ."
EMANUEL UNIT PRAISED
The owners keep woods roads and trails in good condition in the event fire fighting equipment needs to move into their forests and both father and son have high praise for Ranger Donnie Price and his personnel at the Emanuel County Forestry Unit for attending to fire suppression, break plowing and assistance in prescribed burning and other services.
Bill Carmichael recalls "one super hot june day when we could have had a terrible loss if it had not been for the forest unit." He said fire was burning fiercely along a dry creek bed and was about to break out and sweep up a hill and into a large stand of timber. "The unit was on the job just in time to save us that day and we are grateful," he said. Ranger Price also remembers that unusually sultry summer day. " We rushed our water truck out there just in time...another five minutes and there would have been no stopping that fi re," he commented.
The Carmichaels have had very few fi re problem s and modest timber loss due to beetle infestation, but the owners said they were beginning to spot some scattered damage in the past few days. One of their most unusual problems, however, has been the theft of pine straw from their land. They have had to take four persons to court for stealing straw, although some were given a warning when apprehended a first time. They received some income from straw, however, by contracting with a reliable dealer three years ago to collect the material from selected sites from a 500-acre area. His carefu l raki ng yielded 13,000 bales of straw.

Many Georgia fami lies realize that tree growing can be a long term investment - an enterprise that bridges generations. The Carmichaels and the Manners are good examples of families who plan well for the present and the future.
the Swainsboro United M ethodist Church, find s tim e to hu nt and daughter Li sa often joins him in the woods. " I even brought her a camouflaged suit the other day," he said. Lisa and her twin sister, Beth, are straight A students and their appearances are alike, but that's about w here the similarity ends, accordin g to a proud father who expresses great love for both young daughters. " Lisa loves the outdoors an d wants to becom e a profess ional forester, whil e Beth will

FATHER TEACHES DAUGHTER

The Carmichaels plant food plots on their property and allow relatives and some friends to hunt on the property, but none of their land is leased to hunting clubs. Bill works part-time with United Parcel Service and is active in

probably study home econ omics or become a teacher." Carmichael also has a degree in forest technology from Abraham Baldwin Agri cultu ral College and Li sa is already a forester to some extent under his influence and tu t orage.
Ran ger Price views th e Carmichaels as " ideal landowners." He said " if all th e landowners in our county lived up to the principl es of steward ship as they do, we would lead th e entire state in ou tstandin g forests."
Commission Forester Bob McMurry and Consultant Forester Walter Fox agree that it would be difficult to find " absentee" forest landowners who are more enthusiasti c and cooperative than Paul and Phil Manners. The father and son are financial investment counselors in Atlanta during the business week, but when they have time on weekends and holidays to visit their Franklin County holdings some 70 miles from the city, they seek and follow the advice of the professional
(continued on page 75)

Landowner Phil Manners, left, and
GFC Forester Bob McMurry examine rapidly growing pine stand.

joseph Edwards of Mitchell County has revived the craft of building handsome horse-
drawn vehicles. Here he stands before a surrey recently completed in his shop.

CARRIAGE BUILDER TURNS BACK THE CLOG
By Howard Bennett

hen Joseph Edwards admired a toy in a store window or in the Sears Roebuck catalog and asked his father to buy it, he always got the same answer: " If you want it, find a way to make it" The boy did just that! He grew up in the rural community of Greeno in Mitchell County and had little knowledge and scant resources for building his own playthings, but he used his father's limited tools and the plentiful pine wood that grew on the farm to make somewhat reasonable facsimiles of the toys he had seen. Today, Edwards is in his fifties and in a sense he can still be regarded as a toy maker, but the toys he now manufactures are big, beautiful and expensive; they recapture a romantic era of
_ _ ,.,_,oc;_eru:gia_E_o[estrv/Winter 1990

transportation in America'a past He builds horse-drawn vehicles, including carriages, buggies, buckboards, surreys and stage coaches.
Pieces of carefully selected wood go into the hand crafted conveyances that Edwards tums out in his shop in the Putney neighborhood about ten miles
Doctors Bu ggy

south of Albany and he spares no detail in making his product as authentic as possible. Although he had no formal training in engineering, his tireless experimentation with various woods and improvised tools, and the pursuit of a childhood dream has led him to his unusual enterprise of reproducing yesterdays' quaint and graceful vehicles.
While most teenagers long for an automobile of their own, Edwards said he dreamed of owning a beautiful horse and fine buggy. When that was impossible to achieve, he set about making a miniature buggy to be pulled by a goat. Without benefit of plans or guidance, he designed and made each piece for the vehicle and when it was finally finished, he knew what he had

Concord Coach
to do: he would go into the business of manufacturing the graceful horsedrawn vehicles of a bygone day.
Edwards soon found that blueprints, sketches, models, specifications or instructional literature for recreating the vehicles were difficult to find. When the automobile began to replace the carriage around the tum of the century, manufacturing plants began to close and by 1920 the industry had become almost extinct. There were almost 700 manufacturing plants across the country when the industry enjoyed its peak in the 1890s and several plants in Barnesville and other towns in Georgia were among them. Unfortunately, when the last of the major shops closed, manuals and literature pertaining to the craft were destroyed or forgotten.
By studying old magazine photographs, illustrations on calendars, scrapbooks and histories, Edwards managed to gain some information but these sources offered little detail on construction and he had to do considerable drafting to come up with working plans. He also had to determine what woods to use to give his vehicles strength, durability and beauty. The wood in most of the old carriages now in museums is as solid today as it was when they were built and Edwards realized that his material would have to
be of equal quality if his vehicles were
to be faithful reproductions; his vehicles sell for up to $20,000 and he wants his customers to enjoy them for many years and then to pass them on to another generation.
"The selection and treatment of wood is very important in the work I do," explained Edwards. " Each species used is from lumber that is at least two years old and my wood is sprayed with a mixture of linseed oil and mineral

spirits until it is thoroughly soaked." After this process to seal and preserve the wood is completed, it is set aside for four to five weeks to season before it is sanded, he said.
The wheels and shafts of his vehicles are hickory, sturdy axles are made of red oak, rounded fenders are made of white oak because of its flexibility, much of the molding comes from basswood and the seats are pine. The shop is equipped with a lathe, drill press, band saw and other modem power tools, but Edwards also has custom jigs and special tools of his own invention to shape many of the intricately curved wooden pieces and metal parts that go into his productions.
Edwards and his two employees, Gene Haviland and his son, Thomas, are kept busy taking care of orders from Georgians and buyers from other states. Sales have been made in Montana, Arizona, Kansas, Mississippi and Texas. About two years ago, Atlanta's Ted Turner sent the shambles of a fine English carriage to Edwards for restoration and the expert builder and the Havilands fully restored a "pile of junk" to a thing of rare beauty and the cable TV mogul was highly pleased with their NOrk.
Edwards sells an elaborate Victorian carriage, the type shown in several scenes in the movie, Gone with the Wind, for $10,000. A trim little Doctor's Buggy, the kind that wasused by "Doc Adams" in television's Gunsmoke series, is priced at $4,600. His fancy

Gene Haviland and son, Thomas, work
on the hub ofa wooden wheel that will
go on a wagon being built in the shop.

Considerable research and a sense of history, combined with fine workmanship with choice woods from the state's forests, has turned an ancient craft into a going business for an enterprising South Georgian.
Runabout
surreys, reminiscent of the song "Surrey With the Fringe on Top," from the Broadway musical " Oklahoma" several years ago, goes for $7,850.
The builder said he visited the well

Buckboard
known "Dutch Country" of Pennsylvania where the Amish, a religious faith, continues to use the oldfashioned buggy as their mode of transportation. He said he didn't learn any secrets that would benefit his craft, but he did learn that " people up there prefer our wood to theirs as timber from Georgia and the South is far superior."
The carriage builder estimates that wood represents at least 85 percent of the materials that go into his vehicles and he said it is "all Georgia grown," with the exception of the wheels and shafts. The wheels are purchased from a specialty manufacturer, as it would be too time consuming to build them in his own shop. Seats on his vehicles are uphol~tered in marine naugahyde b~cause of the exposure to the weather in the open conveyances, but if the customer requests genuine leather, which comes at a premium, Edwards said he will gladly accomodate him by using the real thing.
Just as Henry Ford looked to the future as he began building the "horseless carriage," Edwards looks back to the past in recreating the horse-drawn vehicle. He points out that terms applied to the modern automobile have been carried over from the "horse and buggy days," including fender, dashboard, and floorboard. {Although the word "horsepower" is often believed to have come from that era, it is said to have been first adopted by James Watt, inventor of the steam engine).
Unlike Ford, who limited the color of his Motel T Fords to black, Edwards gives his customers the option of choosing from many colors. As many as five coats of paint,
Spring Wagon

including the primer, are applied to the vehicle, and when the final coat of quality enamel is dry, Haviland has the exacting task of painting a fine pinstripe on the body, shaft and wheel spokes.
Edwards also specializes in elaborate hunting wagons, long vehicles with three seats - one for the driver and two double seats for the hunters or other passengers. The wagon features built-in cages for dogs.
Several of the attractive hunting wagons, usually painted dark green with red wheels before they leave the shop, have been sold to plantations. They sell for $20,000.

The little shop happens to be located between two diverse roads: one is a busy four-lane highway laden with today's sleek vehicles that have evolved from Ford's horseless carriage; the other is a dusty old stagecoach route once heavily traveled by the buckboards, wagons, surreys and other vehicles now proudly re-created by the Edwards' HorseDrawn Buggy Works.
The boyhood dream of Joseph Edwards, master carriage builder, has been fulfilled.
Landmark Barnesville Hardware, a mellowed brick building on the corner of Barnesville's Main Street and old U. S. Highway 41, is a reminder of the days when the Middle Georgia town was a bustling buggy manufacturing center.
The building once served as showroom for the Smith Buggy Company. It has four sets ofdouble doors that were necessary for placing the vehicles on display.
The industry flourished for more than 50 years, starting in the
1870'sandat one time more than 750 people in the town were working in factories to turn out the type of buggy Edwards now custom builds in his shop in Mitchell County. During the peak of the industry, one Barnesville plant manufactured more than 9,000 buggies in a single year.
The town commemorates the important era in its history each September by staging Buggy Days, a week-long celebration.

UNIFORM FIREWOOD
MEASUREMENT SET
BY AG DEPARTMENT
Firewood consumers and firewood sellers will benefit this winter from uniform measurement standards enforced by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the state agency that regulates firewood sales.
There has been considerable confusion in the past among buyers, as well as some vendors, as to the amount of wood contained in a cord and the species of wood involved in a sale. Department officials point out that now wood of any type sold as fuel for fireplaces or stoves must be sold or advertised by the cord, or fraction of a cord, according to regulation s administered by the department's Weights and Measures Division.
A cord is defined as 128 cubic feet of wood, stacked in a line or row, with individual pieces touching and stacked in a compact manner. The cord can be four feet high, fou r feet wide and eight feet long, or any combination of these measurements which add up to 128 cubic feet.
There are no uniform standards for such terms as face cord, rack, pile or truckload, which is why these terms are prohibited when advertising or offering wood for sale.
Many supermarkets and convenience stores now offer firewood fo r sale in quantities smaller than a cord. The department also regulates these sales and requires firewood to be bundled as a fraction of a cord, or by weight and count. The measurements are required to be clearly labeled on the packaging so that the cu stomer knows the exact amount of wood he or she is buying.
Besides regulating measurements, department rules require that firewood for sale must be designated with 10 percent accuracy as to the type or species.

8/C:eon~ia Forestrv/Winter 1990

400 AUGUSTA FLOOD VICTIMS RESCUED BY COMMISSION UNIT

Area Suffers Worst Flood Since 1908

[!] he most dangerous flood conditions the Augusta area has experienced since 1908 resulted in the Forestry Commission's Columbia County Unit being recruited by Civil Defense to assist in rescue operations. The flood followed more than 12 inches of rain dumped on the county in 24 hours by an inlandmoving tropical depression.
Commission personnel engaged in emergency operations estimate they rescued approximately 400 people.
"The re 's noway to really know what it was like without being there," said

Patrolman Rolando Moreno, a firefighter with the Columbia Unit for the past six years. Moreno was assisted in the rescue operation by Patrolmen Gary McFerrin and Ray Turman.
Ranger Jesse Townsend worked from the operation's Command Post and spent the entire day transporting rescue boats to various sites throughout the county. Separated from the Unit's other members, Townsend spent much of the day on the Savannah River. He loaded boats provided by volunteers on a Commission truck.

Patrolmen Moreno, McFerrin and Turman used the remaining Commission flatbed trucks - already loaded with rescue boats- to work emergency rescue areas.
Since Commission personnel knew the assigned areas well from past firefighting efforts, the big transport trucks traveled effectively through the flooded areas. Many of the roads were impassable, so routes had to be carefully selected. Much of the lowlying areas, laced with creeks that were now overflowing, had become a ser-
(continued on page 20)

- Steve A_b~ott, a patrolman with the Columbia County Forestry Unit, displays the
Comm1ss1on's Top Gun Award after winning state finals in Macon. District winners throughout the state competed in the finals to determine the Commission 's best firefighter. Competitive events varied from land measurement to an obstacle course.
TOP GUN ALWAYS WANTED TO BE IN FORESTRY

P atrolman Steve Abbott (not to be confused with Tom Cruise) captured the Commission's Top Gun State Championship during two-day finals held at Macon headquarters to determine the best forest firefighter in the
state. Abbott, a member of the Columbia
County Unit for five years, took the Top Gun title with an impressive 40 point margin. Points were accumulated on a negative basis (for mistakes); so the less points designated to a competitor - the better.
This was the first annual Top Gun competition held by the Commission. Events were selected according to skills required of Commission firefighters. Competition included a written test, timber volume estimation, land measurement, vehicle inspectio n, and an intensive truck and tractor obstacle course.
" I didn't really go into the finals with much confidence," said Abbott. " But I did go in with the attitude that I like to wi n and I practice."
Abbott's practice did not make perfect, but it resulted in an excellent performance. As soon as he won the district competition, Abbott began training. He practiced every day and

Although practice and study were vital factors in winning, there could be other important aspects. One mi~ht be that Abbott 1s doing what he always wanted to do.
night until the finals three weeks later.
Daylight training consisted of concentrated sessions with Commission Forester Reggie Lanier, and private forestry consultant, Irving Knox. Abbott also trained many hours alone. By nightfall, he was ready for academic study which included the Commission's Policy and Procedure Manual and Forest Protection Manual.
"My wife, Melody, helped out a lot," Steve said. "She took care of the kids those three weeks and gave me time to study."
Although practice and study were vital factors in winning, there could be otherimportantaspects. One might be that Abbott is doing what he always wanted to do.
" Maybe it's every kid's dream to be a

forest ranger," Steve said. "It was always mine and it never changed ."
Although born into a military fam ily that moved frequently and exposed him to various lifestyles, Abbott never deviated from his desire to be a fo rest ranger. Before he was 12 years old, Abbott had lived in Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina and Germany. When he was 12, his family moved to Georgia and settled in Colum bia County. After graduation from Evans High School, Abbott worked at a variety of jobs, ranging from short order cook to veterinarian's assistant.
Eventually he applied for a number of state jobs including forest patrolman. The patrolman's position wasthe first opening. He got the job an d has been with the Commission ever since. Abbott started as a patrolman for the Richmond County Unit, where he worked for 17 months, then transferred to Columbia County under Wayne Meadows, who has been a Commission ranger for 25 years.
"I've never had a better patrol man," Meadows said." Steve is always ready to take on any task and help anybody out that needs it - and he consistently does a good job."
Abbott's Top Gun win was not the

1 0 / G earg ja Forestrv!Wi nter 1990

first time he had distinguished himself in Commission related activities. He has been an active member of the Commission's Fire Tactics Team. The team simulates fire situations - complete with control center and logistical operations - for training Commission employees, industry personnel and the private sector.
Another activity was Abbott's participation on the U. S. Forest Service "Hot Shot Crew." The crew is composed of 20 members who received special training in firefighting to combat forest fires and other emergencies in the 15 states designated in Federal Region 8. Crew members were selected from five Region 8 agencies: Georgia Forestry Commission, Bureau of Indian Affairs (Cherokee National Forest), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and U. S. Forest Service.
Out of 13 states, Abbott was the only member of the Hot Shot Crew from Georgia.
Bob Burns, Commission Training Officer who coordinated the statewide Top Gun contest, said Abbott is the sort of role model needed to make the annual event a success.

IPS BEETLES ON RAMPAGE

The destructive Ips Beetles have been on a rampage throughout much of Georgia this year and a severe drought has been the primary factorfor their increase, according to Terry Price, Commission Entomologist. He said the last major epidemic of Ips Beetles occurred in 1980.
Some parts of Georgia are more affected than others. In past epidemics, the beetles killed small groups of about 10 to 15 trees. This year, spots have grown to several acres in the hard hit areas.
A total of 13,225 spots have been estimated in Georgia and trees accounting for 7,020 cords of wood have been killed, according to Price.
Ips beetles prefer overcrowded and overmature trees. Trees in this condition are weakened, especially during droughts, and offer a good home for the beetles. Epidemics of Ips beetles

usually last for one season and do not carry over to the following year, at least that's what the records show, Price pointed out.
Removal of infestations is the best control, he advised. Since Ips spots are mostly scattered throughout a stand it is impossible to meander through the trees and only take out a few here and there. Instead, landowners should block a big enough area to warrant a feasible salvage operation. This creates enough volume to attract a logger to the wood, as well as eliminates damage to residual standing trees by restricting the skidders and tellers just to the areas to be cut.
Wood markets have held up pretty good so far as the forest industries have made a good effort in trying to work with landowners in salvaging infested stands, Price said.
C@.?

TRAINING BAROMETER
"Steve made a very good score and has an impressive record with the Commission," Burns said. He added that although the Top Gun competition is all in the spirit of good fun, there is a practical side to the event. Burns said competition results provide a barometer for strengths and weaknesses - clearly showing where more training needs to be concentrated.
Burns said next year's Top Gun preparation will be expanded from a basic six-person committee and include every district ranger in the state. Each ranger will have a key role.
"We want an opportunity for new ideas as well as refining old concepts, " Burns said. "The Commission has winning belt buckles already made for past the year 2000, but it's going to take some serious competition to separate Steve Abbott from the title."
In spite of Steve's impressive win, some of his competitors were not impressed. They informed him that they would be ready for him next year. Like an authentic Top Gun, Abbott replied that he would be waiting for them at sunup.
''That's what we need for good competition, Bums said." There's always a popgun after the Top Gun."

1785-----------------
The University o f Georgia

Georgia Center for Continuing Education Athens, Georgia 30602

Schedule Of Forestry Short Courses

Timber Income Tax, Dec. 6-7, 15 hours; Forest Appraisal, Jan. 29-31, 21 hours; Forest Inventory. Feb. 1113, 15 hours; Introduction to Image Processing and Geographic Information Systems for Natural Resources, Feb. 26-28, 20 hours; Basic Communications Skills for Foresters, Mar. 11-12, 12 hours.
Natural Regeneration of Southern Pine, Apr. 17-19, 12 hours; Estate Planning for Forest Landowners, May 1-2, 12 hours; Point Sampling: A Timber Cruising Workshop, May 7-8, 12 hours; Forest Finance: Basic Tools, Jun. 10-11, 12 hours; Using INFORM and Yl ELD plus, Jun. 12-13,9 hours; Logging Cost Analysis, Jun. 25-27, 13 hours; Introduction to Image

Processing and Geographic Information Systems for Natural Resources, Jul. 23-25, 20 hours; Forest Finance: Advanced Topics, Jul. 30-31, 12 hours; Growth and Yield Prediction and Quantitative Stand-Level Management Planning. Aug. 26-28, 19 hours; and Hardwood Management. Sep. 4-5, 10 hours.
All hours are Category 1, Continuing Forestry Education (CFE). For additional information, contact Dr. Richard C. Field, Forestry Specialist, 404/542-3063, or Joseph Allen, Conference Facilitator, 404/542-1585, Georgia Center for Continuing Education, The UniversityofGeorgia,Athens, GA 30602.

Georgia Forestry/Winter 1990/11

~- - -

Atlanta's Lenox Park, 165 acres in the Buckhead section being developed into a mixed-use community by Technology/Park Atlanta, Inc., has completed what may be the largest tree moving project of its kind ever attempted . In an effort to preserve and enhance the natural environment, 35 big trees were moved and transplanted at a cost of approximately $120,000 - an average of more than $3,000 per tree.
"If there is any other development that has moved this many big trees, I don't know about it," said Charles Brown, president of Technology Park/ Atlanta. "I am extremely impressed with the concept and results. There was not a root the size of a finger cut, and so far the survival rate is 100 percent."
The concept Brown refers to is that of Instant Shade Trees, Inc., a national company based in Houston, Texas, that conducted the tree moving operation. The founder of the company, AI Korenek, designed the first all hydraulic tree transplanter in 1965.
After 25 years of research and refine-

ment, Korenek developed a specialized system and giant tree transplanter used on the Lenox Park project. His work has been recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
Korenek's highly specialized equipment can move a 20-foot by 20-foot segment of earth weighing more than 300,000 pounds containing a single large tree. The system can transplant trees previously regarded as impractical- or impossible- for such an operation because of size.
"I'm always impressed by business people who are willing to do whatever ittakes to make the setting as natural as possible," Korenek said. "Lenox Park is a special project, and I'm proud of the positive efforts made to ensure that these beautiful trees remain alive and well."
BUSINESS OASIS
Brown is also proud of Lenox Park with a projected completion date 10 years away. Located in this rolling terrain of cultivated forests, the finished park will offer a natural oasis for business in a city of rising sky-

MASSIVE ATLA TREE MOVING SETS THE STAG LENOX PARK

ByBi . rds

scrapers and expanding concrete to be a round-the-clock center of

roadways. Brown intends to bring a activity.

park-like ambience to the urban And all of this in a carefully culti-

locale, leaving some two-thirds of this vated forest atmosphere of large and

former golf course area undisturbed as small trees with more trees being

open space and landscaped green- planted throughout the 10-year

belts.

development. Thousands of seedlings

On the remaining third of the -pines and hardwoods- have already

wooded property, Lenox Park will offer been planted. One large embankment

1.5 million square feet of Class A office area - visible from Brown's high rise

space, 150,000 square feet of access- office overlooking the development-

ory retailing, a 600-room luxury hotel is planted solid with pines. A scale

and more than 3,000 residences. The model of the completed park is

residential areas will range from located near the overlooking window.

detached single family homes to con- 1 Binoculars resting next to a miniature

dominiums and apartments. With grove of trees offer a quick and closer

shopping areas, restaurants, an d an view of the work below.

amphitheater for entertainment and Although the largest trees have been

cultural events, Lenox Park is expected moved and transplanted, many more

are scheduled that will no~ require the specialized capabilities of Korenek's equipment. Where buildings are scheduled for construction, Brown plans to remove trees and transplant them at a nursery site. As development progresses, these trees will be transplanted on other park locations.
Other amenities will include a centrally located park, several lakes, health club, paved jogging trails, and pedestrian walks winding through the trees. Most commercial parking will be coated subsurface.
Why all this fuss over blending the natural environment with technology? According to past experience, it's better.
EFFECT ON PEOPLE
" There is no doubt that the health, strength and earning capacity of the people is increased by a park," said Frederick Law Olmstead, landscape architect for New York's Central Park.
Realization of this concept goes back even further. In 1841, Henry David Thoreau predicted, "The really efficient laborer will not be bound to

crowd his day with work, but will saunter to his task surrounded by a wide halo of ease and leisure."
" Actually, man has been concerned with the environment since Adam and Eve," Brown said. " Only now environmental concern has taken on a new perspective because we're th reatened with losing some of it."
Brown is intent on saving some of it. Olmstead's dream of establishing havens of natural greenery in the midst of urban concentration is the objective of Lenox Park.
Brown emphasized that it is unusual and fortunate to have property with the characteristics of Lenox Park located in a big city. He said the property offers an opportunity for environmental preservation and enhancement. The 35 large transplanted trees located on the 165 acre tract proved to be a major plus factor; these trees were much too large to have been transported through outside streets.
The Lenox Park area was once home for the Creek Indians, green wilderness with no indications that a town of any sort would exist. Eventually, however,
Geon!ia ForP.strv/WintPr 1QQ0/11

Giant transplanter moves trees during development of Atlanta's Lenox Park, where an effort is being made to preserve the natural environment of the area.

this historic land became the site of Atlanta's oldest chartered golf club. In a sense, the golf course became a saving grace for the land surrounded by urban developments. Building on open golf course areas, Lenox Park plans to preserve existing trees and natural beauty of the land, while enhancing it with pastoral landscaping and more tree planting. According to development guidelines, two-thirds of the site will remain in its natural state, or be landscaped, to provide a sanctuary atmosphere for those living and working there.
CITY IN AFOREST
"We are blessed in Atlanta with a beautiful natural environment. Atlanta is really a city built in a forest," Brown said . "So there is the potential to work with the environment. In some sections of the country, you have the choice of which rock you want to be next to."
Brown says that although the scenery in some of these barren areas is spectacular; it does not offer "the human scale type of thing" that Atlanta and the Southeast provides. Protecting the environment is nothing new to Brown or his company. Technology Park/Atlanta recently received the prestigious Governor's Award, recognizing Georgia's real estate development having the greatest effect in improving quality of life and the economy.
Brown's concern for the environment goes back to a time before it was

fashionable. A graduate of the Georgia Business Institute of Technology, he received a B. S. in Building Construction from the Department of Architecture. Brown practiced architecture briefly before entering the commercial real estate field in Atlanta. He has also been active in marketing and consulting throughout the Southeast. Concern for the environment is reflected in his projects.
"Some developers choose to protect the environment - some don't," Brown said. "We (Technology Park/ Atlanta) probably put it first more than most. Environmental responsibility is the philosophy this company was founded on. I've been a part of the company's developments and refinements for 14 years, so I can take the blame or the credit."
The record supports Brown's statements. Technology Park/Atlanta has been winning environmental awards for 20years, but now, as Brown says, "It may he more fashionable, more economical - it affects the bottom line
Charles Brown

more. And the trees, air and water are things that we are more attuned to."
In a recent gesture of attunement, Technology Park/Atlanta served as a major corporate sponsor for Atlanta's annual metro Christmas Tree Recycling Project. Trees were collected for mulch to beautify the recreational park system while reducing pressure on landfills. The recycling efforts collected 90,000 defunct Christmas trees and Brown's company gave away 30,000 dogwood seedlings in th e process. The idea was to give away a dogwood seedling for every recycled tree. However, the dogwood su pply was soon exceeded by Christmas tree donors, but this did not even put a dent in the enthusiasm of environmental supporters - they just kept coming.
Brown believes this large turnout for an environmental effort is a sign of the times. " For years, we were a throwaway society," he said. "I don't think you can blame people for this, it's just the way things developed. But now, planting a tree and other environ mental efforts ranks with God, motherhood, and apple pie - because there's not going to be any apple pie if we don't have the environment."
ALL VALUES INCREASE
Brown's projects are proof th at it is profitable to protect the natural environment. He calls it part of an "enlightened self interest.
"We're in the business of creating value and protecting the environment is part of it," Brown said. " I do it to make money, but I also do it because I want to breathe and eat tomorrow and because I enjoy working in such a place.
" The value of everything wi ll be increased because ofthe park," Brown said. "The residential property is worth more. The office buildings, every business, every cultural pursuit, every person- they're all worth more because of the park."
All things considered, there can be little doubt that Lenox Park is destined to evolve into one of the most progressive and appealing multi-use communities in existence -- all nestled, settled in and surrounded by trees. But the potential of trees was summed up long ago.
"The Lord made to grow out of the ground all kinds of trees pleasant to the sight and good for food ..." Genesis 2:9.

14/Georgia Forestry/Winter 1990

Father and son are well pleased with one of their larger wildlife food plots at their Franklin County tree farm and wildlife development. james Manners and son, Phil, live in Atlanta but often visit their rural retreat.

(continued from page 5) foresters in converting their property into well managed and diversified acreage.
The Commission's forester began working with the Manners about four years ago when they sought his advice on improving the land. "The property had been neglected for some time by previous owners," he said. "It had been high-graded and Paul and Phil Manners were interested in a game management plan that would also improve their timber stand." Upon McMurry's recommendations, certain areas were to be planted in pines, while other sections of the slightly rolling hills were reserved for wildlife food plots.
ROUGH INTRODUCTION
The younger Manners recalls, however, that his introduction to reforestation was an unpleasant ordeal. He rode the tail end of a bouncing mechanical tree planter for "three very cold February days" in

1988 to drop loblolly pine seedlings in trenches ranging over some 20 acres. Although remembered as "one of the hardest things I've ever done," the landowner said he and Forester McMurry, who arranged for the loan of the planter, can now laugh about the experience as the seedlings had an excellent survival rate of 94 percent.
An additional pine planting was carried out on a 50-acre site after a pulpwood and logging harvest cleared out a long neglected stand. Forester Fox supervised the site preparation that was carried out with herbicides and assigned a crew to hand plant the acreage. "Engaging Walter Fox was a very wise move by the Manners," said McMurry. "When landowners live some distance from their rural property, the services of a consultant forester will be very beneficial."
Almost 400 acres of the land is in mature hardwood and young pine stands. Some 18 acres were planted under the Conservation Reserve Program and 90 acres were reforested

under the Forest Incentives Program. Trees were planted on 37 acres under the Agricultural Conservation Program.
Most of the land was purchased in recent years by the present owners, but Phil Manners said one parcel of about 60 acres "has been in the family for more than 150 years." He said his grandfather, who once owned the land, is best remembered in the area for having played baseball with the legendary Ty Cobb.
Wildlife food plots on the property encompass more than 11 acres and the plantings include orchard grass, wheat, clover and bi-color lespedeza. There are scenic ponds on the place and 35 acres are devoted to a duck habitat, while 25 acres constitute a quail habitat. Deer and turkey also roam the wooded areas.
The owners attempted some farming after acquiring the land, but Phil Manners said "we soon learned that row-cropping was not for us." His father, who grew up on a farm in Middle Tennessee, but said he had always wanted to own land near his son, agreed that farming was neither practical nor profitable and they decided a combination forestry and wildlife management plan would enhance the land and bring about the kind of enjoyment they expected from their ownership.
The Manners maintain a home on their rural property that serves as a welcomed retreat from the hustle of Atlanta's Peachtree Street. A caretaker lives nearby and keeps a sharp eye on the property.
Consultant Forester Fox terms the father and son team "very outstanding and responsible landowners who have reforested badly abused, cut-over forest land and the wildlife work they have done there is absolutely phenomenal." He said about 30 acres will have to be replanted this winter because of seedling loss due to the recent drought. After that planting, he said, all the Manners property will be in several stages of pine, stands of hardwoods and wildlife habitat.
~
The Carmichaels and the Manners two Georgia families separated by 200 miles but who have the same goals: To realize the full potential of their forests through careful, intelligent planning; to be good stewards of the land that is in their care; and to work to perpetuate this great natural and renewable resource for the benefit of generations to come.

Geon~ia ForP.strv/WintPr 1 QQ0/1 <;

RURAL FIRE DEFENSE SHOP OPENS
A well equipped Rural Fire Defense shop and supply headquarters was recently completed at the Georgia Forestry Center in Macon. Th e personnel at the new facility will provide welding, pipe fitting and accessory installations on fire trucks and serve the six county units that now build the complete fire knockers, as well as the many units across the state that build only the tanks.
The shop is staffed by four employees and the overall operation is coordinated by Roger Browning, RFD Specialist.
The four-bay building features an overhead trolley and equipment includes an automatic threader for large pipe, a grooving machine and welding facilities . Hoses, pumps, fittings, bolts, belts and many other items necessary for outfitting the fire trucks are bought in bulk at a savings and distributed from the Macon shop to counties involved in the program.
The Rural Fire Defense Program helps provide fire protection in rural areas and small communities in 145 Georgia counties.

Top left, james Pritchett and Chris Hodge build a tank in the new RFD shop. Above, Pritchett works at the shop 's pipe threader. Below, Brenda Haney discusses new equipment with joe Collins, training officer for the Macon Fire Department with fron t of the shop in the background.

. '

-- __........,_...

-~

~

..-~ -

16/Georgia Forestry/Winter 1990

MIXON INSTALLED
NASF PRESIDENT
Commission Director John Mixon was recently installed as president of the National Association of State Foresters.
As president of NASF, he will direct the 70-year-old association in its work to promote cooperation in forestry issues between the states and territories, and with a wide range of federal agencies and private conservation and environmental organizations. He will serve as president through October, 1991.
Working on national forestry issues is not new to Mixon as he has spoken before congressional committees many times and has served on NASF's executive committee for three years. Mixon has also been chairman of the Southern Group of State Foresters.
The Director has been with the Georgia Forestry Commission since the early sixties and has headed the state agency since 1983.
Commission Director John Mixon has been elected to Fellow in the Society of American Foresters.
In a congratulatory letter announcing the election, Arthur V. Smyth, President of the Society, said "th is is an exceptional recognition bestowed upon you by your peers for outstanding service to the Society and to the profession . It is an honor which few receive, and one which you richly deserve."
A certificate in recognition of the
honor will be presented to Mixon during a ceremony to be held by the
Georgia Division of the Society.

A native of Johnson County and a graduate of the School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, he came with the Commission in 1961 and served in the Waycross and Rome districts. He left the agency in 1963 to work two years in private industry before returning in 1965 to head the establishment of the Commission's unique Urban Forestry Program.
Mixon became field supervisor of the Northern Region of the state in 1972 and later served in that capacity in the Southern tier of counties. In 1978, he was named Chief of the Com mission's Forest Research Department, a new division of the agency at that time.
Mixon assumed the Directorship of the Commission January 1, 1983.
DR. MARX AWARDED WALLENBERG PRIZE
Dr. Donald H. Marx, an adjunct professor of plant pathology atthe University of Georgia, has been awarded the coveted Marcus Wallenberg Prize, the highest honor in forestry.
Marx, director of the U.S. Forest Service Institute of Tree Root Biology in Athens, was selected for his role in establishing protocols to mass-produce and inoculate seedlings in nurs-
eries with Pisolithus tindorius, a
beneficial ectomycorrhizal fungus that promotes growth and survival of pines, eucalyptus, and oaks especially on poor sites.
Originally intended for use in reforestation of strip mines and other dis-
tressed sites, Pisolithus tindorius
has found application in forest regeneration projects throughout the

DEMONSTRATION DAY SET
Plans are underway for a comprehensive Land-Use Forest Management Field Day in Swainsboro May 3, 1991, according to Forester Chip Bates.
Bates said the purpose of the field day is to promote the concept of multiple use forestry by utilizing property for wildlife, timber production, recreation, and water quality.
He said the concept will be demonstrated with hands-on displays in a field environment.
The forester explained that personnel will conduct the field day to answer questions, help with ideas, and give guidance to landowners interested in the future of Georgia. The field day will be held in conjunction with the Pine Tree Festival in Swainsboro and will allow landowners to physically tour and experience demonstration areas showing the multiple use concept.
"""""" ' ')
world, and Marx has served as advisor to forest managers in North and South America, Europe, Ghana, India, Liberia, Malaysia, Morocco, and New Zealand.
According to the selection committee recommendation, Marx has developed "a process for the selective mycorrhizal inoculation of tree nursery soils, which greatly increases the growth and survival rates of conifer seedlings used in the reforestation of inhospitable soils."
Marx becomes the second UGA
faculty member to receive the prize. Kart
Erik-Eriksson, a biochemistry professor, received the prize in 1985 while associated with the Swedish Pulp and Paper Institute in Stockholm.
Scheduled for presentation by Sweden's King Carl Gustaf next September, the one-million Swedish kronor prize ($175,000 U. S. dollars at the present exchange rate) recognizes pioneering accomplishments in research that significantly increase knowledge and progress in the forest industry's spheres of interest.
Marx was born in Canada and raised in Texas and Georgia After serving in the U. S. Marine Corps, he earned B.S. and M . S. degrees from the University of Georgia, and a Ph. D. from North Carolina State University.
The Marcus Wallenberg Prize has been awarded annually since 1980 by Stora Koparberg. The company got its start in copper mining,

Georgia Forestrv/Winter 1990/17

Ranger Maurice Mathews places a notice on the bulletin board at the headquarters of the well-run Oglethorpe County Unit. The vetera n ranger attributes the success ofhis unit to the hard work and dedication of his personnel.

OGLETHORPE COUNTY FORESTRY UNIT

Jobs were scarce in rural Oglethorpe County when Maurice Mathews finished high school in 1956 and the only work he could find was in a granite quarry. He operated a burner that cut channels in the rock so it could be excavated.
It was a rough job to run the noisy machine and tolerate the dust in all kinds of weather. Mathews said that about the time he decided "anything would be better than this," he was rescued by the Georgia Forestry Commission.
"Patrolman Fred Wheeless came by my house one night and said there was a job opening at the Oglethorpe Forestry Unit," said Mathews. " I applied and I got the job. The pay was not much better at the time, but the working conditions and benefits sure were!" That was 32 years ago and today he is ranger of the unit, a position he has held since 1972.
Ranger Mathews, who is often cited for his excellent performance record, holds the average fire down to about two acres in the largest county in area in the Athens District. The ranger and his three patrolmen work with 12 Rural Fire Defense units that engage more than 250 volunteer firemen; they

maintain a large shop to fabricate, mount and paint fire knockers for the rural fire departments in Oglethorpe County and many other RFD units in other counties around the state.
The ranger and his men are charged with the protection of 221,000 acres of forests in a county known for its abundance of wild game; Mathews said many landowners pay their taxes
"The men who make up the Oglethorpe County Forestry Unit are efficient, dedicated hard working individuals. You could never hope to find a better team to carry out the duties of the Commission. In addition to attending to the regular operation of the unit, the personnel maintains a large welding shop to turn out quality Rural Fire Defense equipment that benefits many sections of the state."
Ken Bailey Athens District Forester
ANOTHER IN A SERIES OF STORIES ON OUTSTANDING COUNTY FORESTRY UNITS

by leasing land to hunting clubs. "I used to know everybody in t he county," the ranger said, "but in recent years, people have been moving down from Athens. " He said the influx of hunters during the season and the new residents moving into the county has not increased fire potential. " We do a lot of pre-suppression plowing," he said, "and landowners are cooperative in asking our advice in control burning. "
The ranger and his wife, Shirley, have two sons, Terry and Wendell. Terry is director of Senator Sam Nunn's field office in Atlanta and Wendell is superintendent of Tri-County Natural Gas Company in Union Point. The ranger and his wife are active in Burts United Methodist Church.
John W. Tiller, Jr. was working at the granite quarry in 1972 when he was recruited by Ranger Mathews to fill a vacancy in the unit. He said he immediately found that life as a fo rest patrolman was a vast improvement. "I like the benefits, we have an excellent ranger, I can live in my home cou nty and be free of traffic hassles and I'm working with many landowners I have always known," he said.
The patrolman said he was initiated on his first day with the Commission by being told to unload a heavy crawler tractor from a transport truck. He said he remembers the experience as being "a little scary that first time. "
Tiller said he wasn't a carpenter, painter, welder, plumber or electri cian "when I came here, but they've surely tried to make me into all those things." The ranger said Tiller and his other two patrolmen have perfected the many skills during a building program at the unit in recent years and " they conti nue

18/Georgia Forestry/Winter 1990

to do professional work in welding, plumbing and painting in our fire
knocker shop." Patrolman Tiller and his wife,
Wi nnie, who is with the Clarke County Health Department, have a son, Billy. The family attends Vesta Baptist
Church. Patrolman James Gabriel was a
maintenance supervisor for a Watkinsville manufacturing company when he spotted a GFC employment ad in the Oglethorpe Echo in the spring of 1977. "My work in Watkinsville was mainly inside," he said, "and during the few times I had outside work to do at the plant I realized how good it would be to have an outside job."
As patrolman, Gabriel is now enjoying the wide open spaces. The unit, located two miles North of Lexington, is surrounded by wide meadows and rolling hills. The patrolman said he grew up on a farm and has always enjoyed working with machinery. " I guess that's why I really enjoy plowing firebreaks," he said.
Edward's hobby is coin collecting, something he has been enjoying for 25 years. "I have always liked history," he said, "and a serious coin collector has an opportunity to learn a lot of interesting history." The patrolman said he has a sizable collection of rare coi ns and "each one has a story to tell."
Gabriel's wife, Sherrie, is secretary of the Commission's Athens District. The couple has two children, Brit and Jessica, and they attend Son light Baptist Church.
Roy Mattox, a native of Oglethorpe County, saw a lot of the world as a

Top, Patrolman Roy Mattox checks gauges on a watertruck. At right, Patrolman }ames Gabriel sands one of the many Fire Knocker bodies thatare built in the unit's welding shop. Below, Patrolman john Tiller, Jr. makes repairs on a crawler tractor.
soldier for 20 years before returning home and joining the local forestry unit as a forest patrolman.
Mattox, a Vietnam veteran who

also served in Alaska, Germany and several other countries, had a threeyear assignment at the Pentagon in Washington during his military career.
The Oglethorpe High School graduate holds an associate degree in liberal arts from a college in Spokane, Washington and studied business administration at the University of Alaska. His hobby is music and he often plays guitar with his father and others in a small band that presents programs at nursing homes and makes other benefit performances.
The patrolman said he has received the "best possible training" while with the unit and has not run into any trouble, although he has experienced a "couple of hot ones." He said he enjoys working with dedicated people who make up the unit.

FLOOD
(continued from page 9)

ious threat to lives and property.

Although he knew conditions were

bad, Moreno was not prepared for

what he saw when the Commission

crew reached the rescue sites - cars

floating at rooftop level, dogs swim-

ming around looking for their homes

that were now underwater, and furni-

ture floating out of houses into yards

and streets.

Some people

were afraid and

refused to come

out of their

flooded homes,

while others

waded in waist-

deep water car-

rying television

MORENO

sets, small child-

ren, pets, or a jumble of valuables- try-

ing to get to higher ground that was not

there. At times, someone walking

through the water, would step into a

hole and disappear; fortunately,

everyone Moreno saw managed to

bob back to the surface and keep

going. Many people seemed stunned

and did not really know what to do.

" We went to every house we came

to," Moreno said, "either walking or in

the boats. We had to - because we

never knew when there might be

someone in there, hurt, sick, disabled

or whatever. Then there were the

children."

Moreno said they had to carry some

Patrolman Mattox and unit's mascot.
Patrolman Mattox and his wife Sharon, a geneticist who works in cancer research at the University of Georgia, live at Sandy Cross.
people in wheelchairs through the water and put them into the boats. Everyone was then transported to an area elementary school for safety.
SCHOOL FLOODED
" But then the school got flooded, " Moreno said, " and we had to take them to a railroad track on higher ground where they waited for transit buses to take them to a hospital that was already filling up with flood victims."
Back at the rescue site, Moreno encountered several critical situations. He rescued one frightened woman with six children, ranging from one to ten years old, all huddled in a badly flooded house that was getting worse. Then, a man he rescued by boat guided Moreno to another house where his aged father was trapped. No one else knew where the father was and the man was in serious need of dialysis treatment.
CRISIS COMPOUNDED
As the day wore on, Moreno saw houses that were completely destroyed by the flood as water continued to rise. Reports that more rain was expected compounded the crisis. Everyone in the area was afraid that more rain would break a nearby dam and release more water into this underlying area.
In addition to the threat of the dam breaking, Moreno and his coworkers already faced a variety of dangers. Snakes were swimming aimlessly about after having been driven from

the woodlands. Power lines had been knocked down into the water in some areas and electricity had to be immediately cut off. Broken sewer lines spewed sewage into waters already glutted with floating mounds of garbage creating a frightening potential for disease.
Moreno said he considered the sewage to be the most threatening of all hazards. While wading toward a house, he saw a sewer line burst from water pressure that flung a metal pipe fragment through the air like a projectile to land 75 feet away.
"But we really did not think about the dangers then," Moreno said. "We just kept going, trying to rescue as many people as possible."
None of the Commission personnel stopped for food or rest. During the afternoon a television crew managed to get to the flooded area where Moreno was working. As Moreno was wading into the water toward a house, the television crew tried to stop him for an on-camera interview. Moreno never slowed his pace. He called back that he could not stop.
"I just felt that lives were at risk and I could not spend time on anything else," Moreno said.
REST AFTER NINE HOURS
In spite of the forecast for rain, Moreno and other rescue workers began to get welcome glimpses of the sun as the afternoon wore on. No more rain came and after nine hours they rested for the first time.
Moreno remembered that he had not taken his required daily medication for a heart condition and insulin for diabetes; realizing he had suffered no ill effects, he felt tired for the first time during the hectic day.
Moreno, who retired from the Army after 21 years, said his military training proved valuable during the rescue operation, because the ability to make quick decisions in emergency situations stayed with him. He said Patrolmen McFerrin and Turman are also military veterans.
"But, you know," Moreno said, " I actually felt good when I got home. I felt like we had all done a good job maybe even saved some lives. And I remembered what Harold Smith (retired Columbia County Ranger) tol d me when I first came to work for the Commission- he said, 'if there's ever a big rain, stay around for a while, somebody might need some help.' "

20/Georgia Forestry/Winter 1990

TWO PESTICIDE APPLICATION CONFERENCES SCHEDULED

A conference entitled "Pesticide Application with Environmental and Public Concerns" will be held in Macon, january 29, and in Statesboro the following day, according to the sponsoring Cooperative Extension Service.

The Macon conference will be held at the Georgia Forestry Commission auditorium and the Statesboro conference will be held at the Conference Center, Georgia Southern University.
Lamar Merck, Extension Forester, said

TREES OF GEORGIA

By Paul Butts

Slash pine is a two-needle, yellow or hard pine that grows in Georgia primari ly below the fall line. Its needles are as long as twelve inches, sometimes causing it to be mistaken for longleaf. The large purple male flowers occur mainly in
SLASH PIN E (Pinus elliottii Engelm.)
February. Early flowering loblolly will occasionally cross with slash and also with longleaf.
Slash pine represents 25 percent of the softwood timber volume in Georgia, while loblolly accounts for 45 percent. Ten percent is shortleaf and six percent is longleaf.
The species is favored for products because of its straight stem, small limbs, high wood density, and high strength. Slash and longleaf pines are t he two species worked for gum naval stores, although natural crosses of either with loblolly will also produce commercial quantities of gum. These gum producing species have some resistance to bark beetle attack because they can drown or pitch out bark beetles with high flows of gum.
The Commission grows only genetically improved, high gum yielding, and rust resistant varieties of slash seedlings for sale. No open market slash seed are planted.
Slash has been widely planted over much of Georgia and the

South, particularly during the soil bank period of the 1950's and 1960's. Part of its popularity was the expectation that it might later have use as a source of naval stores income.
The species displays a very impressive growth and appearance in old field plantations, particularly during its first few years. This probably added to its popularity, and more than half of all slash pines now
growing in Georgia were planted. The species does not occur naturally west of the Mississippi River.
In the original forest, slash or yellow pine was the tree of drains and better sites, while longleaf or hill pine was the tree which naturally grew and thrived on drier and poorer sites. Slash does not do well on these sites, which reduce its growth rate and compound its tendency to stagnate more readily than other pine species. After stagnation, trees lose their ability to regain rapid growth after thinning.
In the lumbertrade, slash is mixed with longleaf, loblolly, and shortleaf, and sold together as one species that is designated, Southern yellow pine. The minor Southern yellow pine species include pond, spruce, Virginia, pitch, and table mountain. These minor species have a lower strength rating than the four major species.
In the days of wooden sailing ships, slash provided much of the masts, spars, and other components which required unusual straightness and strength. These same features today make slash the favored tree for pressure treated posts, poles, and piling, and for the higher grades of ratedlumber.

the two one-day conferences will benefit foresters, herbicide applicators and land managers. He said the program will highlight current environmental regulations and public perceptions about the use of herbicides in forest management It will provide training on how to avoid problems and be better informed about regulations and public relations techniques.
A specially qualified team of instructors experienced in presenting the training will lead these conferences, Merck said, and recertification credits for registered forester and pesticide applicator licenses, as well as CFE credit, will be given.
For more information, contact Lamar Merck, Extension Forester, Landrum Box 8112, GSU, Statesboro, GA 30460-912/681-5630.
NEW MANUAL PRINTED
How will forest landowners fare in an environmentally sensitive era? Is it possible to grow timber commercially and have abundant wildlife? How much do common forest management practices cost? Will herbicide usage increase timber profits?
These and many other important questions asked by forest landowners are answered in the 1991 Forest Farmer Manual due out in February 1991.
The manual, published every other year by Forest Farmers Association, has gained a reputation among southern forest landowners as being a timely and reliable source of information on tree growing in the South. Articles in the 1991 manual cover latest forest management advances, tax issues, timber markets and federal laws that affect timber growers.
The manual includes helpful directories of use to tree growers, including lists of all southern state foresters, extension forestry departments, forestry schools, possible timber markets and consulting foresters.
The 1991 Forest Farmer Manual is the 28th edition. Copies are availableat $20 each, plus $3 postage and handling. Contact Forest Farmers Association, Box 95385, Atlanta, Georgia 30347 (404) 325-2954.

Georeia Forestrv/WintP.r 1qqQ/21

"I am a student pilot and I need HELP!"

COMMISSION PILOTS FLY INTO LIFE AND DEATH SITUATIONS

The aircraft pilots of the Georgia Forestry Commission are primarily in the business of helping save forests from the ravages of wildfire through close surveillance, but occasionally their flights take dramatic, life-saving turns.
Take, for instance, Pilots Brad Turner and Phil Cavenaugh.
Turner, the Commission's Air Operations Supervisor, was flying from Brunswick to Macon on a cloudy August day with Michael Mescon, president of a business consultant firm, as his passenger. They were returning from the annual GFC employees conference where Mescon was one of the principal speakers. Turner was flying at 6,000 feet just east of Dublin in marginal visual flight conditions when a nervous voice came over the radio: "I am a stu-
dent pilot and I need help!" Somewhere out in the murky
sky the lost pilot, who said he only knew he was "some place between Dublin and Statesboro," was desperately trying to reach Macon Approach Control with his urgent message, but the foul weather was holding him to a low altitude of 1,700 feet and his voice was not getting through. That's when Turner attempted to relay his message to Macon, but the Commission pilot said " it became awkward and the student was becoming increasingly upset. " He then asked and received permission from Macon and the lost pilot to take control of the aircraft.
Turner calmed the student by giving the frequency for the Dub-
lin VOR (a navigational facility). The student pilot tuned the VOR and followed Turner's instructions. He was able to determine this aircraft's position from information passed by the student. Turner then gave headings for him to fly

Turner
Cavenaugh
until he was over Dublin, followed by headings to fly into the local airport. He was instructed to call Macon Approach Control as soon as he touched down, which he did.
Turner never saw the plane or learned the name of the pilot.
The 25-minute drama carried out that day in the clouds over Middle Georgia so impressed passenger Mescon that he wrote a letter to Director Mixon, stating in part:
" I want to commend the gentleman who piloted me yesterday. On our way home, he guided a distraught and thoroughly lost student pilot to a safe landing...Your pilot was able to pick him up on the Georgia Forestry Commission plane's radio and calmly, professionally and methodically helped this student land in Dublin. Your pilot was not only a good samaritan, but a genuine hero. You

can be very proud ." Pilot Phil Cavenaugh was flying
in the Camilla District during the recent drought when he spotted a fire racing along a fence row. When a strong wind suddenly began whipping the blaze toward a nearby mobile home, he immediately radioed the nearest county unit, but he was flying over a very remote area and he knew the Commission firefighters wou ld not be able to arrive in time to save the property if the fire con tinued to spread.
A car parked near the mobile home indicated that someone was probably at home and he buzzed the property to attract attention. Nothing happened and he tried it again. This time, a woman came out and looked up at his plane and turned around and re-entered her home. The flames were headed directly for the home when he made the third and fourth passes at an altitude of only 200 feet.
The woman came out the second time and saw the fire. She grabbed a garden hose and managed to douse the flames as they were about five feet from her car.
The pilot, who is on temporary duty with the Commission, and is a certified instructor who teaches flying in Tifton, recalls one humorous experience in trying to alert a resident of an approaching fire. "This was in Early County," he said, "and I spotted a shed on fire in a back yard. It was some distance from the house and there was little danger of it spreadin g." He buzzed the residence and a man came out, looked up briefly, walked out to his mailbox and then went back inside his home. A couple more low passes got his attention and he ran for his garden hose.

son who has unselfishly devoted his

life to preaching as he practices,"

Macie said... DEBORA NOBLES, a

native of Biloxi, MS., who has lived in

Georgia several years, is the new

Milledgeville Dis-

trict secretary.

She

replaces

Mary Jo Coleman,

who recently re-

tired . Nobles,

CHARLES D. (WOODY) BENTLY, a patrol- during a jet fighter crash near who is from a

man in the Benien County unit since he Townsend...Personnel of District 11 military family

came with the Commission in 1987, has recently welcomed BARBARA STEELE as and has lived in

been named ranger of the unitto succeed

many states, is a

Monroe Gaines, who was recently

graduate of Dub-

promoted to district ranger, Statesboro.

lin High School and attended Mercer

Bently is a native of Nashville, where he

University and Tift College. Prior to

graduated from the county high school

assuming the position at the district

before attending Abraham Baldwin Agri-

office, she was employed for the past

cultural College and Valdosta State

five years in the administrative depart-

College. The new ranger and his wife,

ment at MerCer University in Macon.

Dana, and their daughter, Jodie, are mem-

The secretary and her husband,

bers of the Nashville United Methodist

Carlton, make their home in

Church...DARRON WRIGHT, 17, of For-

Gray. She enjoys hand crafts, espe-

syth County has the new district secretary to succeed cially needlework, as a hobby.

received

the Frances Stevenson, who recently retired.

1990 F&W Young Steele, who came with the Commission

Forester Award as a tower operator in 1975, is a native of

and Scholarship McRae and a graduate of Telfair County

for outstanding High School. She also attended Ben Hill-
MERRILL NAMm HEAD achievement in Irwin Tech to leam secretarial skills and is
4-H forestry activ- presently enrolled for night classes at

OF NEWNAN DISTRICT ities. F&W For- Heart of Georgia Technical Institute for
estry Services, further study in communications. The

Inc., a forestry consulting firm with principal offices in Albany, established the award in 1983 to encourage young people to consider forestry as a career...WAYNE ROWELL, who came with the Commission as a forest patrolman in the tenth

ROWELL

STEELE

district in 1986, has been named ranger of the Mcintosh County Unit to succeed Ronnie Alvin, who was transferred to the North Bryan-Bulloch Unit. Rowell is a native of Baxley and a graduate of Jeff Davis High School. The new ranger and his wife, Lynett, have two daughters and two sons and the family is active in the Townsend Baptist Church. Rowell recently received a commendation from the U. S. Air Force for rendering service

secretary and her husband, Vernon, have one son...NALDA HARPER is the new secretary of the Newnan District. She is a native of Carroll County and a graduate of North Clayton County High School. She worked for some time for an electronic manufacturer, where she edited the company's newsletter among other duties. The secretary, whose hobby is reading, has three children, joel, Jo Beth and Amy, and one granddaughter. She has also served as a foster parent for infants. Harper and her husband, Mack, live in Palmetto... LOUIE DEATON, urban forester in the Atlanta area since the early 1960's, was recognized at the recent Georgia Urban Forest Council conference in Savannah as the Outstanding Educator of 1990. Callin g Deaton the dean of urban forestry, past council chairman, Ed Macie, commended him for his t ireless efforts to promote the management of trees in a growing city. " Although Mr. Deaton is not an educator in the formal sense, he has promoted all phases of environmental awareness to countless garden clubs, school groups, civic groups and individuals. He is a rare per-

John Merrill, who came with the

Commission in 1985 as a reforestation

forester in the Athens District, has

been named Newnan District Forester.

A native of

Kansas, Merrill

graduated from

Kansas State

College with a

degree

in

accounting and

worked in that

profession for 15

MERRILL

years. He also was business

manager for a

college before moving South in the early

1980's to attend Auburn University,

where he earned a degree in forestry.

The new district forester succeeds

Preston Fulmer, who was recently

named field supervisor and transferred

to the Macon Office.

Merrill and his wife, Martha, have three

children: Wesley, Amy and Christine.

The family is active in the United

Methodist Church. The forester said the

family's favorite recreation is hiking and

camping in the mountains.

Georgia Forestry/Winter 1990/23

BEFORE YOU SELL...
The optimum age for harvesting and selling pine in Georgia is 30 to 40 years, but the actual sales transaction can take place in 30 minutes or less! Georgia landowners are reminded that it is often wise to get an offer from more than one buyer and to insist on a properly written contract. There are other important considerations. For professional advice, contact a consultant forester or the Georgia Forestry Commission.

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